There is no “one look is best” approach to nail style. Different looks work on different people at different times of the year. My own nail style is deliberately plain and this is more a question of aesthetic preference than time or maintenance.

• Hands: I might be alone on this one but I really like the look of short nails, sans finger nail polish. Once a year, I might venture out and pop on a bit of clear vanish, but never colour and I don’t do French manicures. I like to keep my hands and nails well moisturized, neat and au natural.
• Feet: I wear toe-nail polish from April to August. For years, my choice of toe colour has been either a shade of blue or green, and very occasionally a soft pearly white. I do not wear pink, red, purple, orange or brown toe nail polish and once again, French manicures are not for me. I also have this weird idea that for the rest of the year, my nails need to breathe so come the first week of September, my toe nails are stripped of their polish and we’re back to au natural.

What’s your nail style? Do you even have one? Would you like to make a change? I look forward to loads of variety in the responses.

Talbots classic merchandise is traditionally aimed at an older target market, but that’s about to change. Starting this season, Talbots is repositioning it’s brand to reflect younger, more modern fashion. Their Fall 2009 look book launched the start of their efforts to send out the new message and it was already met with great approval in the YLF forum.

As many of you guessed, Talbots is also the brand behind the Red Chair Confessions teaser campaign. And as part of this campaign, they gave me the opportunity to check out their new collection. Fabulous! My task as a fashion stylist was to shop at Talbots for myself, and bring along one of my  clients who would shop too. With our $750 gift voucher in hand, Phoebe and I set about our shopping spree in the Seattle downtown store.

Talbots items are known to be beautifully made. I’m a sucker for rich fabrications and superb workmanship and this was the first thing that struck me about their collection. Impeccable quality. Their fabrics have weight and drape so well. The finish on their tailored pieces is amazing. A good first impression.

The colours of the first Fall inputs are lovely. The usual black, grey, white and cream with earth tones, burnt orange, red, olive green and chartreuse. Phoebe and I were excited as we carefully perused both the petites and misses collections, touching and trying on as we moved through the store. We also selected an assortment of tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets and accessories to try on in the fitting room.

The look of this season’s merchandise definitely reflects a younger vibe than it did before. It’s not what I would call trendy, edgy and hip, but certainly modernly classic, stylish, tasteful and absolutely well worth a look. Also, remember that a modern classic item has the potential to look hip in the right ensemble. How you wear an item makes all the difference.

Phoebe liked their dresses and necklaces best, and could have come home with at least four of each. But she stuck to two dresses, one necklace and opted to add a striking black and cream jacket instead (my favourite item in the store). Fashion forward Phoebe wouldn’t have thought to shop at Talbots if she hadn’t accompanied me on the shopping spree. It just goes to show that you can’t leave a retail stone unturned. Each season, retailers earn the chance to impress us with their collections all over again, and this is precisely what Talbots plans to do.

I ran into a size challenge when their smallest size did not fit in either the petites or missus collections. Their fit usually runs big and still does. But I did manage to come home with a few unconstructed pieces that were fine to fit on the roomy side. I’m 5ft 6 and cannot shop in petites because items are too short on the length, rise and torso. But by pushing the sleeves up on petite knitwear and sticking to a shorter top to wear with skirts, I managed to come home with three tops that I adore. I’ve also been after a very plain red, non-patent, structured satchel with subtle gold hardware for ages and came home with one of those too. I’ll enjoy contrasting the classic look of the bag with an edgy outfit.

The promotional activities continue and you can also participate. Talbots has launched the Red Chair Confessions blog, and there is a competition running where you can win your own $250 Talbots gift voucher by making a comment on one of several other participating blogs (contest rules).

A big thank you to Susan and Sandy from Talbots in downtown Seattle for making us feel like princesses as we shopped the store. We wish you every success with your new look collection.

I recently mentioned the avante guard painters shirt as an item for fearless fashionistas this season, and you might be wearing one sooner than you thought! An interesting giveaway opportunity came our way and I’m excited to share it with you: the “one size fits most” painters shirt by boutique brand Zina of Beverly Hills. It retails for $245 at Neiman Marcus and looks quite haute couture.

The painters shirt is not for everyone because it takes courage to surrender your waistline to this extent. We’re talking major deconstruction if you wear it as is. But you’ve also got the option of pairing it with a waist-cinching or low slung belt if you’d prefer to rein in some of the volume.

There is definitely a place in fashion for eclectic pieces. I adore voluminous items and feel that they can look stunning when worn in the right way. What are your thoughts on this particular painters shirt? Would you wear it? How would you wear it?

To be eligible for the giveaway, please reply to this post and be sure to write “I would wear it” somewhere in your comment. We will choose the lucky recipient using a random number generator and get in touch using the email address you provide.

Entries for the giveaway will close on September 18 at 5pm (PST).

The Zina Painters Shirt. With this model’s proportions I would have belted the shirt a little higher in the waist, or on the natural waist, to avoid looking long waisted.

It used to be a faux-pas to wear double breasted jackets without buttoning up. Left open, you would get a weird fabric flopping thing happening around the torso and bust area making you look shapeless and unpolished. Buttoning them up was the only way to achieve a form fitting shape that showed off your waistline. Single breasted jackets, on the other hand, retain their shape along the contour of the torso when you leave them un-buttoned.

But deconstructed and boxy clothing is back in fashion and wearing double breasted jackets open is the “it” look. The jackets are also tailored accordingly. The upside is that when unbuttoned they create the same flattering vertical line down the front of the body. The downside is that it still means surrendering the waistline and taking some structure away from the bust area. Double edged sword.

Buttoning up tailored, double breasted styles is always flattering, but leaving them open is a fun new twist on the style. What do you think?